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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Immunol. 2017 Mar 27;17(5):322–332. doi: 10.1038/nri.2017.13

Figure 2. Pauci-lymphatic state and corneal immune privilege.

Figure 2

Under normal physiological conditions, drainage is limited, as lymphatic (and blood) vessels are restricted to the limbus. Several key factors have been identified that retain the cornea in this pauci-lymphatic state (see text). These mechanisms are subverted in certain inflammatory settings, and lymphangiogenesis results in lymphatic vessel invasion of the cornea. The latter is associated with amplification of DC egress and consequent T cell activation in the draining LN.